Rekettye



Feb. 9, 1960 P. REKETTYE APPARATUS FOR SEALING INFLATED ARTICLES l R E t m N m m w a T 1T T e E W A m K s E :v 2 R l L mm Filed Aug. 6, 1956 1960 P. REKETTYE 2,924,052

APPARATUS FOR SEALING INFLATED ARTICLES Filed Aug. 6, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 w ll lh ll ea 76 $6] 55 7s 74 67 FIG. 3

INVENTOR.

PAUL REKETTYE ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,924,052 APPARATUS FOR SEALING INFLATED ARTICLES Paul Rekettye, Akron, Ohio, assignor to The Sun Rubber Company, Barherton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 6, H56, Serial No. 602,126 11 Claims. (Cl. 53-80).

This invention relates to an improved apparatus for sealing inflated articles which contain air under pressure. The particular use for which this invention has been developed is in the manufacture of balls, such as childrens playballs, which are required to be inflated to a predetermined extent in order to have the desired resilience.

The invention has been perfected in connection with the manufacture of balls made from synthetic resins, and which preferably are made by a rotational casting process that produces a hollow, seamless article, for eX- ample, by the casting process shown in Molitor Patent No. 2,629,134, granted February 24, 1953. These balls generally are not fitted with inflating valves and, therefore, are inflated by means of a conventional inflating needle forced through the wall of the ball.

The apparatus of this invention has been developed for use in'helping to carry out the method of manufacturing sealed inflated articles which is disclosed and claimed in co-pending application of Paul Rekettye and Vaughn E. Valentine, Serial No. 602,125, filed August 6, .1956, now abandoned. Said method involves the preforming of a small radial opening in the wall of the article during the casting of the article, which opening, however, does .not extend completely through the wall, but leaves a small area adjacent the inner surface of the wall which must be punctured by the inflating needle. After the article has been inflated to the desired extent, the needle is quickly withdrawn, and thereafter a molten charge of quick-setting resinous sealing material is quickly injected into said preformed opening, which charge completely seals said opening to make the article air-tight. The apparatus disclosed herein is utilized to quickly inject the molten charge into said preformed opening, while heating the wall of said opening to insure proper fusion of said molten charge with said wall. However, the apparatus may be used to inject a molten charge into any opening formed in a resinous article to seal such opening, whether such opening is preformed during the casting of the article or is subsequently punched or cut into the wall of the article.

It is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus which can quickly, effectively, and completely seal a preformed opening in an inflated resinous article, such as a playball, so that air under pressure in the article will be permanently retained therein.

Another object is to provide an apparatus which will deliver a molten charge of resinous sealing material into a preformed opening in .an inflated resinous article, with means being provided to heat the sealing material prior to its entrance into said opening, and with additional means being provided to heat the wall ofsaid openingas said charge is delivered thereinto.

A further object is to provide an apparatus of the character referred to which includes a heated nozzle head that fits into a preformed opening in an :inflated resinous article, and through which head a molten charge of resinous sealing material is delivered intosaid opening, with means being provided to automatically move ice 2 said article out of engagement with said nozzle head as said opening is being filled with said sealing material.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation of the sealing machine, with parts being shown in section for the sake of clarity,

Fig. 2 is a partial plan view and section taken substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front view showing the .heated nozzle and the'mechanism for automatically removing the ball from the nozzle head, taken substantially in the direction indicated by line 33 of Fig. 1,

:Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section showing the nozzle head in the preformed opening in the ball, before any sealing material has entered said opening, and

Fig. 5 is a similar section showing the portion of the article into which the molten charge has been injected, with the preformed opening completely filled with sealing material.

The material from which the articles to be sealed is made from is a fusible synthetic resin and includes vinyl polymers and copolymers such as polyvinyl chloride, and other compounds known as plastisols.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates the base of the sealing machine which is bolted at 11 to a table 12 or other support. Welded or otherwise suitably secured to base 10 .is the lower end of a vertical, tubular column 13, while the upper end of this column supports a horizontal shelf 14 to which it may also be welded. Shelf 14 is a channel member having downwardly turned side flanges 15, and bolted thereto, as at 16, is a conventional, horizontally operating single .action air cylinder :17.

Extending vertically through aligned openings .18 and 19 in table 12 and base 19, respectively, through column 13, and through opening 20 in shelf 14, is an operating rod 21, which controlsthe admission of air under pressure into cylinder 17. The lower end of rod 21 is pivoted at 22 to a foot pedal 23, oneend of which is pivoted at 24 to the floor or other foundation 25. Within col: umn 13 near the bottom thereof, rod 21 carries an abutment 26, and between the latter and the top of base 10, a coil spring 27 surrounds rod 21, which spring has .a normal bias tending to return rod 21 to its starting position shown in Fig. 1,.after it has been moved downwardly by an operator stepping onthe foot pedal 23.

The upper end ofrod 21 is pivoted at .28 to the upper end of a curved or bent lever 29, the lower end of which is secured to one end of a small shaft 30 mounted for limited rotation in the upper end ofa-bracket 31 carried by a valve housing 32-suitably secured to air cylinder17. At the other end of shaft 30, the upper end of a short lever 33 (Fig. 2) is secured, while the lowerend of lever 33 is operativelyconnected to a conventional valve (not shown) .in housing .32, which controls the passage of compressed air into and out of cylinder 17. This cylinder contains the usual piston (not shown) which is movable to the right, as viewed in Fig. 1,.by air pres sure, against the action of a return spring (not shown) whichmoves the pistonto-the left when the air pressure is released.

The arrangement of lever 29, shaft 3% and lever 33 provldes a bell crank action, so that when foot pedal 23 is .depressed by an operator, rod 21 will pull the upper end of lever 29 downwardly, to rotate shaft 30 clockwise, as viewed inFig. 1, and cause lever'33 to open the valve in housing 32 and admit air under pressure into cylinder 17 through air line 34, from a source of compressed air (not shown). When. foot pedal ,23 is :released by the operator, spring 27 will return rod 21 to front of the piston rod. At its inner its initial position, and the valve in housing 32 will be opened to permit escape to the atmosphere of air in cylinder 17, while the spring in the latter cylinder returns the piston to its initial position.

Also supported on shelf 14, by means of bolts 35, is a body member 36 that includes as a part thereof a valve housing 37, in the top of which is threadedly secured a supply tank 38 containing a supply of liquid resinous material 39 which is used to seal the preformed opening in the inflated article, in a manner to be referred to. The liquid resinous sealing material may be the same compound used in casting the article, or any other suitable compound, for example, such as is disclosed in the said companion application Serial No. 602,125.

Connected to the piston in cylinder 17 is a piston rod 40 having a collar 41 adjustably threaded thereon, and the reduced outer end portion 42 of this red is movable horizontally in a passage 43 formed in valve housing 37,. through a packing gland 44 threaded onto one side of the housing. A passageway 45 of smaller diameter than passage 43 connects the latter with the bottom of tank 38, and the arrangement is such that when piston rod 40 is at its extreme left position, as viewed in Fig. l, the passageway 45 is not covered by the end portion 42 of the rod, and liquid can flow from the tank 38 into passage 43, in end, passage 43 connects with a larger passage 47 in housing 37, which larger passage carries a ball valve 48 that is normally urged by a spring 49 into a seating position which closes the inner end of passage 43, as indicated in Fig. 1. Spring 49 is carried in a threaded plug 50 that closes the outer end of passage 47. In tank 38, a spring pressed piston 51 exerts a constant downward force on the liquid 39 tending to force it through passageway 45 into passage 43, but this force is not sufficient to unseat valve 48 against the action of spring 49.

v The inner end of passage 47 is also connected by a small passage 52, in housing 37, to the upper end of a distributing tube 53, threaded into housing 37, with the inside diameter of tube 53 being of smaller diameter than passage 43. Tube 53 extends through a suitable opening in shelf 14 and its lower end is connected by a suitable coupling 54 to the upper end of a heated injection nozzle 55, the inside diameter of which is smaller than the inside diameter of tube 53. As shown, nozzle 55 extends'through and is suitably secured to a heating element 56, the front end of which tapers to a flat edge 57 (Fig. 3). Integral with the lower end of nozzle 55, and extending below heating element 56, is a nozzle head 58 which has its outside diameter reduced so that it can be received in the preformed opening in the article to be sealed, as will be later referred to.

Heating element 56 is formed of a suitable copper alloy or the like and is part of a conventional electric heating unit, indicated in its entirety by the numeral 59, the rear end of which is secured to a wall 60 depending from shelf 14. Heating unit 59 also includes a tubular insulation member 61, and the electric circuit for heating element 56 includes a thermostat 62 having the usual tubing 63 connected between the instrument 62 and heating element 56, for vapor-pressure operation of the thermostat. The instrument 62 is secured to column 13 by means of a suitable bracket arm 64. Heating element 56 is continuously heated while the sealing machine is in operation and the desired temperature range for element 56 lies between 250 F. and 275 F., depending upon the temperature of operating conditions, while the preferred temperature is approximately 262.5 F., as indicated by the dial 65 on the instrument 62. In the present instance, with the dial set at 262.5 R, if the temperature of element 56 reaches about 265.5 F., the circuit is broken until the temperature drops to about 259.5 F., at which time the circuit is re-established and the temperature raised again.

Depending from shelf 14 is a pair of spaced brackets 66 having forwardly extending, lower end portions 67 that are located below insulation member 61, and have a rotatable horizontal pivot pin 68 extending between end portions 67. Secured to pin 68, as by spot welding or in any other suitable manner, is a bell crank lever, indicated in its entirety by the numeral 69.

Lever 69 comprises an elongated vertical arm 70 having a large lower annular portion 71 (Fig. 3) that passes around insulation member 61, and a reduced upper portion that extends through opening 72 in shelf 14 and terminates in a bifurcated end 73 surrounding portion 42 of, piston rod 40 between collar 41 and valve housing 37. Included in lever 69 is a shorter horizontal arm 74 that takes the form of a generally rectangular frame with the front portion 75 thereof-(Fig. I) raised with respect to the rear portion. The front portion 75 of the frame includes a horizontal cross-frame member 76 (Fig. 3) that has a small aperture 77 therein, through which the nozzle head 58 extends.

Secured to lever arm 70 intermediate its ends is one end of a coil spring 78, the opposite end of which is secured to an eye-bolt 79 depending from shelf 14. Spring 78 has a normal bias tending to hold bell crank lever 69 in the full line position of Fig. 1, and this lever is moved to its broken line position by the action of collar 41 when the latter moves to the right with piston rod 40 to push down an article that has been scaled, as will be explained.

When it is desired to use the sealing machine to seal a preformed opening in an inflated resinuous article, such article, in this instance a playball 86) having a preformed opening 81 therein, is adapted to be held by an operator (Fig. l) with the nozzle head 58 extending into, but not completely to the bottom of, the opening 81, as more clearly shown in Fig. 4. In this instance the ball 80 has been cast with the preformed opening 81 therein, in accordance with the method of said copending Rekettye and Valentine application, and the ball has been inflated to the required extent (in this case 5 to 6 psi.) by inserting a conventional inflating needle in opening 81 and through the closed area 82 (Fig. 4) at the bottom of opening 81, so that all that remains to complete the manufacture of the ball is to seal up the opening 81 to permanently retain the air pressure in the ball. The outside diameter of the nozzle head 58 is approximately the same diameter as opening 81, and the heated nozzle head fits snugly within the opening, as indicated in Fig. 4.

With the parts of the sealing machine in the full line position of Fig. 1, with tank 38 containing sealing liquid 39, and with heating unit 59 being turned on, the operator steps on foot pedal 23 to prefill tube 53 and nozzle 55 with sealing material. This action admits compressed air to cylinder 17 and moves piston rod 40 and collar 41 to the right. As the portion 42 of the piston rod moves to the right, it forces the liquid in passage 43 against ball valve 48 and unseats the latter. The movement of the piston rod continues until it reaches the end of passage 43 and forces all of the liquid from the latter passage into the distributing tube 53. As the liquid flows down tube 53 it reaches the lower portion of coupling 54, which has become heated from contact with element 56 to a temperature of about F., and the liquid begins to gel, thus slowing up but not completely stopping its downward flow. As the gelled sealing material moves through nozzle 55 and nozzle head 58, where the temperature has increased to around 262.5 F., it becomes a molten mass ready for passage out of nozzle head 58. When the sealing material substantially fills tube 53, nozzle 55 and nozzle head 58, or prior to such filling, if desired, the ball 80 is placed in position with nozzle head 58 in opening 81. Then the operator releases the foot pedal 23, which returns the movable parts to their Fig. 1 position. As portion 42 of the piston rod returns to its starting position, spring 49 forces ball valve 48 into Seating position closing the end of passage 43 and blocking the entrance to tube 53. When the end of the piston rod uncovers passageway 45, a suction is created that draws liquid from tank 38 into passage 43, which suction with the help of the spring pressed piston 51 in tank 38, quickly refills passage 43 in the space between the end of the piston rod and the ball valve 48.

Now, the operator quickly depresses foot pedal 23 again and piston rod 40 again forces the liquid in passage 43 to unseat valve 48 and enter pipe 53, so that there is a continuous column of sealing material, acted upon by piston rod 40, from passage 43 to nozzle head 58. Thus, as the piston rod 40 continues to move to the right, a molten mass or charge of sealing material is quickly injected into the opening 81 in ball 80. Once the tube 53 and nozzle 55 have been prefilled with sealing material as directed, each depression thereafter of the foot pedal 23 causes an injection of a molten charge of sealing material from nozzle head 58, and each release of the foot pedal causes passageway 43 to be refilled with liquid sealing material. Since nozzle head 58 is heated it has been applying its heat to the wall of opening 81, and as the molten mass is injected into opening 81 it fuses into sealing contact with the wall of opening 81. The heated wall of opening 81 improves the fusion of the molten mass with the wall, and the opening 81 is completely filled and sealed with the charge 83 (Fig. which cools and solidifies within a few seconds after the ball is removed from the nozzle head.

As the molten material is injected into opening 81, collar 41 on the piston rod 40 moves lever arm 70 to its broken line position in Fig. 1. This causes member 76 of frame 74- to push downwardly against ball 80, thus gradually moving the ball downwardly as the opening 81 becomes filled with the molten charge and oif the nozzle head 58 as the opening is completely filled.

In actual practice the sealing of opening 81 in the ball takes but a few seconds after the foot pedal 23 is depressed, and if there is any excess material in the charge 83 that extends beyond the periphery of the ball it may be easily cut or buffed off.

Each time the foot pedal 23 is released, after a ball has been sealed, the spring 27 returns rod 21 to its Fig. 1 position, thus venting cylinder 17 to the atmosphere, and the spring in cylinder 17 quickly returns piston rod 40 and collar 41 to its initial position. As collar 41 returns, spring 78 will return the bell crank lever 69 to its full line position in Fig. 1.

While I have shown and described the preferred form of the invention, it will be apparent that the invention is not so limited but that changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for sealing a preformed opening in a hollow, inflated, heat fusible plastic article comprising, a tank containing a supply of liquid plastic sealing material, a nozzle having a head adapted for fitting in said opening in engagement with the Wall thereof, delivery means for said sealing material leading from said tank to said nozzle head, means for forcing said liquid material from said tank into said delivery means, and heating means surrounding said nozzle for heating said liquid material just prior to its entering said nozzle head so as to change it to a molten state and for heating said nozzle head while it is in engagement with the wall of said opening so that as said molten material fills said opening it will be fused with said heated wall thereof.

2. A machine for sealing a preformed opening in a hollow, inflated, heat fusible plastic article comprising, a tank containing a supply of liquid plastic sealing material, a nozzle head adapted for fitting in said opening in engagement with the wall thereof, delivery means for said sealing material leading from said tank to said nozzle head, means for forcing said liquid material from said tank into said delivery means, heating means associated with said nozzle head for heating said liquid material justprior to its entering said nozzle head to change it ,to ya molten state and to heat the nozzle head while it is in engagement with the wall of said opening, and mechanism for automatically and progressively moving said article off said nozzle head as the opening becomes filled with said molten material, said mechanism being operable by said means for forcing the liquid material into said delivery means.

3. A machine for sealing a preformed opening in a hollow, inflated, heat fusible plastic article comprising a tank containing a supply of liquid plastic sealing material, a nozzle head adapted for fitting in said opening in engagement with the wall thereof, delivery means for said sealing material leading from said tank to said nozzle head, means for forcing said liquid material from said tank into said delivery means, heating means associated with said nozzle head for heating said liquid material just prior to its entering said nozzle head to change it to a molten state and to heat the nozzle head while it is in engagement with the Wall of said opening, and mechanism for automatically and progressively moving said article off said nozzle head as the opening becomes filled with said molten material, said mechanism comprising a bell crank lever operable by said means for fusing said liquid material into said delivery means.

4. A machine for sealing a preformed opening in a hollow, inflated, heat fusible plastic article comprising a tank containing a supply of liquid plastic sealing material, a nozzle having a head adapted for extending said opening in engagement with the Wall thereof but not completely filling said opening, a tube for delivering said sealing material from said tank to said nozzle head, foot operated means for forcing said liquid material from said tank into said tube, heating means surrounding said nozzle for heating said liquid material just prior to its entering said nozzle head so as to change it to a molten state and for heating said nozzle head while it is in engagement with the Wall of said opening so that as said molten material fills said opening it will be fused with said heated wall thereof, and mechanism for automatically moving said article off said nozzle as said opening becomes filled with said molten material.

5. In a machine for sealing a preformed opening an a hollow, heat fusible plastic playball, a tank containing a supply of liquid plastic sealing material, a nozzle having a head adapted for extending into said opening in engagement with the wall thereof but not completely filling said opening, a tube for delivering said liquid material from said tank to said nozzle head, a valve preventing the passage of said liquid material into said tube when seated, foot operated means for unseating said valve and forcing said liquid material from said tank into said tube, heating means surrounding said nozzle for heating said liquid material just before it enters said nozzle head so as to change it to a molten state and for heating said nozzle head while it is in engagement with the wall of said opening so that as said molten material fills said opening it will be fused with said heated wall thereof, and mechanism for automatically and progressively moving said playball off said nozzle as said opening becomes filled with said molten material.

6. In a machine for sealing a preformed opening in a hollow, heat fusible plastic playball, a tank containing a supply of liquid plastic sealing material, a nozzle head for extending into said opening in engagement with the wall thereof but not completely filling said opening, a tube for delivering said liquid material from said tank to said nozzle head, a valve preventing the passage of said liquid material into said tube when seated, manually operated means for unseating said valve and forcing said liquid material from said tank into said tube, heating means associated with said nozzle head for heating said liquid material just before it enters said nozzle head to change it to a molten state and for heating said nozzle head while it is in engagement with the wall of said opening so that as said molten material fills said opening it Will be'fused with said heating wall thereof, and a bell crank lever for automatically and progressively moving said playball ofi said nozzle as said opening becomes filled with said molten material, and means for returning said lever to its initial position upon release of said manually operated valve unseating means, I

7. 'In a machine for sealing a preformed opening ina hollow, inflated, plastisol playball, a tank containing a supply of liquid plastisol sealing material, a nozzle head extending downwardly into said opening in engagement With the wall thereof but not completely filling said opening, a downwardly directed tube for delivering said liquid material from said tank to said nozzle head, a passage for said liquid from said tank to said tube, a valve closing said passage when seated, a plunger operable in said passage to force said liquid to unseat said valve and enter said tube, a second valve controlling the operation of said plunger, foot controlled means for operating said second valve, said plunger and said first valve to force said liquid into said tube, and heating means associated with said tube adjacent said nozzle head for heating said liquid just before it enters said nozzle head so as to change it to a molten state and for heating said nozzle head While it is in engagement with the wall of said opening so that as said molten material fills said opening it will be fused with said heated wall thereof.

8. A machine of the character recited in claim 7, wherein mechanism is provided for automatically and progressively moving said playball ofi said nozzle head as said opening becomes filled with said molten material.

9. A machine of the character recited in claim 7, wherein mechanism is provided for automatically and progressively moving said playball off said nozzle head as said opening becomes filled with said molten material,

said mechanism being operable by said plunger.

10. A machine of the character recited in claim 7,

-wherein mechanism is provided for automatically and progressively moving said playball ofi said nozzle head as said opening becomes filled with said molten material, said mechanism comprising a bell crank lever operable by said plunger.

11. A machine of the character recited in claim 7, wherein mechanism is provided for automatically and progressively moving said playball oif said nozzle head as said opening becomes filled with said molten material, said mechanism comprising a bell crank lever operable by said plunger, and means for returning said lever to its initial position upon release of said foot controlled means.

References Cited in the file or" this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Whittington Jan. 14, 1958 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION l atent No. 2,924,052 February 9 1960 Paul Rekettye It is herebj certified that error appears in the-printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 6 line 30, after fextending" insert into line 44 for an" read in same column 6, lines 45 and 64, after "hollow each occurrence, insert inflated V column 7,, line 3 for "heating" read heated a Signed and sealed this 16th day of August 1960,

(SEAL) Attest:

KARL AXLINE ROBERT c. WATSON Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

